Rangeland Ecology & Management

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STICKS AND STONES: LOW-TECH RIPARIAN AND WET MEADOW RESTORATION IN THE GUNNISON BASIN
Author
Seward, Nathan W.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2018
Body

In 2017, the Gunnison Climate Working Group Project Team (GCWG), a diverse public-private partnership, completed its sixth year of riparian and wet meadow restoration in the Upper Gunnison River Basin.� This effort helps the Federal Threatened Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus), other wildlife, and ranchers maintain their livelihoods in the face of a changing climate.� Riparian areas and wet meadows comprise a small proportion of the sagebrush landscape, but provide important Gunnison sage-grouse brood-rearing and summer-fall habitats because of the diversity and abundance of food resources such as succulent forbs and insects.� Most of these mesic communities have been adversely impacted by accelerated erosion and lowered-water tables, and are likely to be further degraded by increased drought and intense precipitation events caused by climate change.� To address these impacts, the GCWG has built over 1,200 rock, earthen, and stick structures following the guidance of restoration expert, Bill Zeedyk, to improve and restore hydrological and ecological function.� The project has gained wide spread support by state, federal, local, private, non-profit, and academic groups.� To date, we�ve enhanced over 1,200 acres of Gunnison sage-grouse brood-rearing habitat along 24 stream miles and significantly restored and developed resiliency in 175 acres of wet meadow.� This project serves as an important demonstration of how simple, yet effective tools can be implemented across large landscapes with multiple land owners/agency jurisdictions to better prepare nature and people for an uncertain future.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Reno, NV